Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 56: Cohesion of Military Spirit

Translator: Cinder Translations

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The next day, Paul bid farewell to Quiller and Hansel's group outside of town.

Accompanying them was a supply convoy, serving as a declaration of loyalty from Alden to the royal family. Though not numerous, it was a gesture of commitment.

In preparation for potential resistance during the future liberation of slaves, he took Hansel's advice to heart — "You must have strong foundations yourself" — and began to make bold changes to the army; The changes he made were:

v Established a Logistics Department responsible for procurement, supply, and disbursing military pay. Ron, who previously handled logistics for the new recruits' training camp, was appointed as Minister of Logistics.

v Established an Equipment Department responsible for weapons research, development, and testing. Kelly, who managed grenade production, was appointed as Minister of Equipment.

v Established a Staff Department responsible for analyzing wartime situations, providing advice to Paul, and formulating specific operational plans according to his intentions. During peacetime, they would oversee training and development of the ground forces. The head of the Staff Department, Chief of Staff, remained the veteran knight Schroder.

v Established a Navy Department, responsible for commanding naval operations during wartime and overseeing training and development of naval forces during peacetime. Austin, acting commander of the Northwest Bay Fleet, also assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.

Paul ordered the Staff Department to refine military regulations and disciplinary systems, particularly tightening duty regulations for all officers. No officer was permitted to leave their station without permission; even lieutenants and below were required to reside in military camps. Any soldier absent without leave for more than two days faced punishment, and those absent for over two weeks were treated as deserters.

With these measures, the army became more professionalized, finally resembling a semblance of a professional military.

To cultivate more high-quality officers, the Staff Department established a new school next to the Weis Academy — the Grayman Military Academy. Senior officers like Schroder and Bryce developed military textbooks and training outlines tailored to the current era's combat requirements of the Alden army. Count Grayman himself pondered deeply, drawing on military knowledge from his past life forums to occasionally offer suggestions.

At this stage, the military academy could only be considered an officer fast-track program, with most students being active low-level officers in the current forces.

On the walls of the military camp in Alden Town, these words were painted in white dye: "The army cannot exist without the people, just as fish cannot live without water."

Paul strove to weave bonds of affection between the military and civilians, inspired by a certain army from his past life. In this era, the image of various national armies in the hearts of their respective people couldn't be said to be good.

Indeed, there were outstanding commanders known for strict military discipline, such as Princess Catherine of the Aldor Kingdom, whose troops had a good reputation among the people.

However, these were isolated examples. Most armies could be summarized in a single phrase: "Discipline by whip, morale by plunder." Even if they didn't invade enemy territory, incidents of bullying and free-loading near their garrisons were not uncommon.

Paul ordered the troops stationed in Alden Town and Frand not to harass civilians. He also organized voluntary labor on weekends, aiming to assist nearby residents with tasks within their capability, thus improving the soldiers' image in society.